The Latest from Big Think

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We explore our environment more than we are compelled to utter poetry when we’re toddlers, says Neil deGrasse Tyson.
I've never understood those weight guessing games offered at your more low-rent carnivals.  Yet, across the country, people hand over their hard-earned dollars, driven by a curiosity about whether their […]
A new company has been launched with the specific purpose of mining near-Earth asteroids for precious metals. Without massive technological advancement, however, the economics won't work. 
Several years ago, Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister conducted a study that measured the productivity of computer programmers. Their data set included more than 600 programmers from 92 companies. According […]
What's the Big Idea? Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson believes in the power of science -- so much so that he gets hate mail for it. From children. As director of […]
As the world's largest particle collider reaches higher energy levels, scientists can better understand how the Universe's constituent particles formed just after the big bang. 
By creating a Space Joint Stock Company, America's largest energy, defense and technology companies could generate massive cash flows while providing unlimited amounts of clean energy. 
For everyone who loves their art and their sports, the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, and the accompanying London 2012 Cultural Olympiad seem a match made in heaven. […]
Tim Caulfield, author of The Cure for Everything, and who spoke at American University last week, has some terrific insights over at the Huffington Post on common health myths that […]
In his 2010 book "The Audacity to Win," Obama 2008 campaign director David Plouffe explained that the goal of the campaign was not only to ensure high participation and turn […]
My friend Sarah Moglia has written an essay, titled Why I Don't Call Myself a Skeptic, that's been making waves in the atheist blogosphere. She's got a thought-provoking argument with […]
I’m the only one who can get you out of the situation that you’re in.
Many essential utilities in Rio de Janeiro are being managed by a single 'Ops Center,' a huge hub of technologies provided by both IBM and Cisco. Is this paving the way for a future of smart cities or urban dystopias?
Today as I meditate on Arum and Roksa's much-discussed study, “Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses,” my thoughts turn to academic life at the institution where I teach. This week […]
Anyone who doubts that the Internet has the potential to bring people together should take a closer look at Neighborgoods, a service that helps users share goods with people living nearby. 
Two recently published books caught my eye today at the World Bank bookstore here in Washington, DC and I've put both at the top of my list to read and […]
Looking to make a cut of the billions of dollars in annual revenue Internet companies make by selling personal data, Hewlett-Packard wants to patent its idea for an open data market. 
The average human lives at 24 degrees north or south from the equator 
Despite the bad name commercialization receives in academic circles, it is essential to carry laboratory discoveries, like graphene and stem cell therapy, into their next stages of innovation. 
The UK's highest court has ordered ISPs to block their customers from accessing the Swedish torrent-hosting site. One ISP responded by saying better legal alternatives to piracy are needed.